Posts by Gary Pearce
Do a poll
Carter and I disagree on most every issue, but we agree on one big thing: Good polling is essential in a campaign. Which is why I’m obsessed with why Hillary Clinton’s campaign stopped state-level polling in the final weeks of 2016. I think about that decision every time Trump does something dumb, despicable or dangerous…
Read MoreWhat happens in Vegas…
As the N&O editorial aptly noted, this American carnage won’t end now, especially with Trump and the Republican Party safely locked away by the NRA. By now the pattern is familiar. First, shock and horror. Then frustration and anger over the predictable response by Republican politicians. Thoughts and prayers are sent. Mental illness is blamed.…
Read MoreWhy Hillary lost, continued
Bill Clinton’s old pollster Stanley Greenberg joins the pile piling onto Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign. Greenberg’s most striking point is the campaign’s overreliance on “data analytics” and under-reliance on polls, focus groups and good old political gut. In other words, the campaign abandoned the very same techniques that made Bill Clinton a winner in 1992…
Read MoreDivided we stand. Or kneel
Last night’s installment of Ken Burns’s “The Vietnam War” recalled how divided our country was 50 years ago. Today we’re just as divided. Thanks to Trump. Apparently, the Divider-in-Chief doesn’t have enough on his plate with North Korea, Russia, Obamacare and hurricane relief. So he goes to Alabama and (surprise!) attacks athletes who happen to…
Read MoreTweet back
Stop saying Trump should stop Tweeting. Why should he? It works for him. He has 38.8 million Twitter followers, and he can talk directly to them. That’s real communication power. Instead of whining, Democrats need to get tweeting better. And there’s no better role model than 91-year-old former congressman John Dingell of Michigan. Mashable wrote…
Read MoreDoggy Bag: Char-Grill
We need a break from politics. So today’s blog comes from our dog Ringo. It’s the first in a series of Doggy Bag restaurant reviews for dogs and their owners. Sometimes I go out to eat with my people. (Note to Gary: dogs, like divas and big-time CEOs, have “people.” Not “owners.”) This week, we…
Read MoreBad signs
For a brief moment, I thought my campaign against yard signs was gaining ground. One big-name candidate in Charlotte joined the cause. Her campaign manager said, “As part of our commitment to a more sustainable Charlotte, we’ve decided not to pollute Charlotte’s roads, our right-of-ways, and our green spaces with yard signs, and we’re calling…
Read MoreWhat happened? One word: Race
Hillary Clinton’s book scrolls through a long list of reasons why she lost. But the real reason may boil down to one simple fact: race. Specifically, the fact that the President she wanted to succeed – the President who endorsed her and enthusiastically campaigned for her – was black. Plus the fact that her opponent…
Read MoreCivil wars
Some Democrats are popping corks over two stories. First, Steve Bannon promised a civil war in the Republican Party. Second, in North Carolina, the number of Unaffiliated voters exceeds Republicans for the first time: Democrats: 2,640,470 Unaffiliated: 2,055,548 Republicans: 2,055,493 Hold the champagne. First, we’ve got our own civil war – between Clinton Democrats and…
Read MoreThrowing the book at Hillary
Hillary is getting pilloried. Again. This time for having the effrontery to write a book about the election, “What Happened.” Even Democrats are jumping and dumping on her for “reopening old wounds,” “refighting old battles” and making them relive the awful experience of seeing Trump elected President. Lay off her. Three points here: First, she…
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